La. passes child abuse laws in response to Sandusky case

Louisiana has a new trio of child abuse laws that were passed in part in response to the sex abuse scandal involving former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, reports KPLCtv.com on Sunday. Sandusky goes to trial today. Allegations that he molested children during his years as a coach prompted public outrage; part of the furor was generated by the fact that those around Sandusky didn’t report suspicions about his conduct to law enforcement. Gov. Bobby Jindal has now signed three of four new measures designed to protect children, and reportedly he intends to sign the fourth. One measure protects whistleblowers reporting child sex abuse from employer retaliation. Two other laws would hold those who fail to report an incident accountable to law enforcement. The fourth adds certain classes of athletics coaches to the list of those that are required to notify authorities if they suspect child sex abuse; the law is similar to those that apply to doctors and teachers. The story on new child protection laws that have emerged in the wake of the Sandusky scandal can be read here.